


Knights of the Old Republic: The New Jedi Order

by Ace_Jade



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Canon, Post-Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22536520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_Jade/pseuds/Ace_Jade
Summary: (spoilers for all of KOTOR 1 and KOTOR 2)The Jedi Civil War is finally, truly over. Meetra Surik, also known as the Exile, has killed both the Jedi Council and the Sith Lords, and destroyed Malachor V a second time. But another threat lurks in the Outer Regions, the True Sith. Meetra has promised her friend T3-M4 that she would someday go find and bring back Revan, but before she departs on this journey, if the galaxy is to prepare to meet this threat, Meetra must train a new generation of Force users – a new Jedi Order.Meetra has spent much of her life mastering war, defeated all enemies who stood against her. But now, with the help of her apprentices, she must master the art of peace, of healing, of rebuilding.
Relationships: The Jedi Exile/Mical | Disciple
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. The Return of the Jedi

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know much about the bulk of Star Wars Legends canon, so I'm going to ignore virtually everything outside of KOTOR I and II proper. Story assumes female light side Revan, female Jedi Consular/Jedi Master Meetra. Will include Mical/Meetra, but this is mainly a gen fic.

_It seemed the Exile had been telling the truth after all_ , Bastilla thought as she examined Atris's corpse, heard the screams of the Sith Holocrons throughout the room. The Republic had taken over the whole secret Jedi base and arrested the inhabitants, pending investigation.

She had found it hard to believe the tale at first – the remnants of the Jedi Council, fallen to the Dark Side? That Atris, as their ringleader, had conspired with the Sith to lure the remaining Jedi into a trap at Katarr, killing almost the entire order and the entire planet? That was what the Exile had told Carth, claiming it as her reason for killing what was left of the Council. Carth had asked her to examine Atris's personal chambers and confirm the truth of this tale, seeing as she could see what mere eyes could not.

Bastilla had long ago abandoned her naive belief in the perfection of the Council, disillusioned forever by her brief fall to the Dark Side. After Revan vanished, she'd even followed Jolee's example and left the Jedi Order, deciding she would do more good working full-time in the Republic military helping Carth rebuild. Nevertheless, she had found it impossible to imagine the Council falling so far. 

But even now, a few days dead, Bastilla could sense the Dark Side within Atris, and the screams of the sith holocrons that Atris had gathered were also strong evidence. In retrospect it made sense – how else could the Jedi Order have been hunted down and annihalated so thoroughly, despite Revan's apparent victory in the war, other than a betrayal from within? She herself had faked her own death and adopt a false identity, with Carth's help, after Katarr.

But it seemed it was all true. The Council had betrayed the Jedi, forcing an Exile who'd been banished by the Council to save them all by killing the Council. Just as it had been previously saved by a redeemed Darth Revan.

Bastilla only vaguely remembered Meetra from early days of training as a Padawan – how she'd been one of the first to leap at Revan's call to war, and been only one who returned. Perhaps it was time they were reintroduced.

* * *

"If I'm being honest, part of me feels guilty for twisting the truth like that," sighed Meetra. "And worse, for asking you to corroborate my story, Mical. You lied to your superiors for my sake."

Meetra and all her apprentices, having mostly recovered from the conflict at Malachor V, had all sat down together in a circle to discuss what had transpired, and how they should proceed from here. The Telosian government had provided all of them another single-room apartment pending the investigation of Atris's death. T3-M4 was helping repair the Ebon Hawke, HK-47 was busy running his newly acquired HK51 factory, and Mandalore had left back for Dxun.

"It's for the best, and you know that," assured Mical. "And we didn't lie, the story is still mostly true. Atris did indeed fall to the Dark Side, and she was responsible for the destruction of Katarr. If you studied the history of the Jedi Order as closely as I have, you'll find signs of such cover ups are common among the Jedi. To the galaxy, you are already becoming a myth – the last Jedi who heroically returned from exile to selflessly save the very Republic that had exiled her, who single-handedly defeated the remaining Sith Lords and saved Telos from annihalation. The galaxy needs that myth."

"That sounds like something Kreia might say," sighed Meetra. Kreia, her teacher who mere days before she'd been forced to kill with her own hands. She still wished there had been some way to save her. She'd tried so hard to convince Kreia to stand down, but her teacher refused all attempts at mercy.

"Well maybe the old witch had a point then," chimed in Atton. "You don't need me to tell you the whole galaxy has completely lost faith in the Jedi Order. But they have faith in you. If the truth that you killed the Jedi Council out of revenge got out, you'd be shattering that faith. And perhaps it deserves to be shattered. I've always thought the galaxy needed to stop treating Jedi like they were perfect. But is that really what you want? We all finally have a chance to stop being hunted. We're going to be war heroes, the Republic will shower us with medals and we might even get a fancy Jedi Temple on Coruscant. And frankly I'd love it if everyone stopped trying to kill us, the gag where we come to a new planet only for the Ebon Hawke to get shot down is getting less and less funny each time."

"For once I agree with him," chimed in Mira.

"I have destroyed planets for you, General. I will follow you, as I always have," agreed Bao-Dur.

Visas merely nodded in agreement.

"Well so long as we're all in agreement. Anyway, let's move on to other matters. Visas, I've been wondering if you feel ready to take on an apprentice-"

"Silence," interrupted Visas. "Someone approaches." A moment later Meetra sensed it too. A force wielder, one attuned to the light side, was approaching. Their appearance was unusually sudden – it was as if they'd deliberately revealed themselves, dropping a technique that had concealed their presence. Perhaps as a sign they intended no harm.

Atton immediately grabbed for his lightsaber, but Meetra waved him down. "I do not sense the Dark Side. Hopefully this will be a peaceful meeting."

A few seconds later, a knock came on the door. The Exile waved the door open using the Force. "Come in. May I ask your name- Wait. Bastilla Shan, is that you?" She had only been a padawan then, but Meetra remembered her from the Dantooine Enclave. And at the vision she'd seen at the Sith Tomb on Korriban, of course.

"Bastilla? _The_ Bastilla? I'd heard you were dead!" exlaimed Mical.

"Not dead, merely hiding. Admiral Onasi helped me fake my death," clarified Bastilla. "But thanks to you, it seems the time for that is over. Our investigation is complete, we've confirmed your version of events regarding Atris. It seems the Republic and the Jedi both owe you thanks. Though I, too, left the Order a few years ago. Still, thank you. For all that you have done. Admiral Onasi has asked me to inform you that you and your apprentices been invited to accompany him to Coruscant for an award ceremony. We will depart tomorrow, if that is acceptable."

"Finally, some recognition!" declared Atton, drawing a dirty look from Mical.

Meetra shook her head. "You owe me no thanks, Bastilla. I only protected the innocent, as I always have." That, at least, was no lie. "But yes, tomorrow should work. That said, I sense there are other matters you wish to discuss. Feel free to sit down. It is good to see you alive and well, after so long."

Bastilla sat, the rest of them moving to make room for her. "Yes, you are correct, Exile. Or may I call you Meetra? We need to discuss the future of the Jedi."

"Meetra is fine," confirmed Meetra.

"An important question to be sure," chimed in Mical. "As I recall, you too left the Order, Bastilla. The Exile is popularly known as the The Last Jedi, but the truth is that even now, there are no actual members of the Jedi Order left alive besides Revan, who is missing. I believe that in Revan's continued absence it falls to us to rebuild the Jedi, but legally Revan is the only one left with any claim to their legacy."

Bastilla nodded. "Yes, Admiral Onasi has been discussing the matter with the Republic's government. Given your heroic defense of Telos, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic is willing to grant you a formal pardon from your sentence of exile, Meetra. Technically the Jedi Council's laws are not subject to the authority of the Republic, but given the fact that the Jedi Council no longer exists, it is the view of the Supreme Chancellor that in their absence it falls to the Republic to step in. With this pardon, you will be restored to being a member of the Jedi Order in good standing, and by extension so will your apprentices. From there you can establish a new Jedi Council." 

"There's more, isn't there?" sensed Meetra.

"You are correct," replied Bastilla. "A condition of the pardon is that you will admit me back into the Order and grant me a seat on the new Jedi Council, as the Republic still does not fully trust you, Meetra. Not after you helped Onderron win its war of independence. I will, of course, resume my true identity."

Meetra nodded. "That sounds like a good deal to me. Any objections?" she asked her apprentices.

Atton chimed in. "I think it's a good deal, but just be aware we don't intend to return things to the status quo. I want nothing to do with the old Jedi Order; they abandoned the Republic to burn in the Mandalorian wars."

Bastilla nodded. "I am sure we will have long arguments on the specifics, but on that general principle, I am in agreement. Then who will sit on the new Jedi Council? Will it just be Meetra and myself? Ideally there should be more of us."

Meetra shook her head. "I believe that all of us here should sit on the new Council."

There was a silence for several seconds, as her apprentices considered the question. Mical was the first to break the silence. "The members of the Jedi Council are supposed to be experienced Jedi Masters with decades of service to the Order. I certainly do not fit that description. That being said, if you believe I am ready, I will accept the responsibility. Meetra."

Visas was next to decide. "I know nothing of the Jedi beyond what you have thought me. That said, if this is your path, I will follow you."

Bao-Dur nodded in agreement. "I feel the same, General. I am certainly not qualified, but I will sit on the Council."

Mira shook her head. "Do you really want someone like me on the Council? I'm a bounty hunter. I didn't even believe in the Force until I met you, I thought it was just some nonsense religion."

"And that is exactly why your perspective is important," assured Meetra. "Too long have the Jedi isolated themselves, made themselves oblivious to the lives of people like you. You have much to learn, that is true, but you have just as much to teach us, about how we can build a better Jedi Order, one that does not fail the people in places like Nar Shaddah."

Mira sighed. "Well, if you're sure. I'll do my part, I guess."

Another silenced stretched, as Atton considered the question. Finally, he nodded. "Honestly? I still hate the Jed Order of old. But this is a new Jedi Order. If I really hate the old one, then I might as well do my part to build the new one. I faced down Darth Sion himself in battle and lived to tell the tale, compared to that this should be easy."

"Thank you all," declared Meetra. She turned to Bastilla. "Then it is decided. We will all meet as the new Jedi Council on Coruscant after the award ceremony, and decide how to proceed from there to build a new, better Jedi Order."

* * *

The award ceremony on Coruscant was gaudy and prestigious. Thousands were in attendance among the crowd of onlookers, and Supreme Chancellor Tol Cressa himself gave the award speech.

"5 years ago, we believed the Jedi Civil War was effectively over. The heroic Jedi Revan redeemed herself by defeating Malak and annihalating the majority of the Sith Empire's army. Yet as I'm sure you are all aware by now, that was not the end of the war. The Sith continued striking from the shadows. Tragically, the entire planet of Katarr was wiped out, as were almost all the Jedi. It has come to light that there was a group of traitors within the Jedi Council, led by Jedi Master Atris, who betrayed the Republic and allied with the Sith. But the Sith were not satisfied wiping out Katarr, and Telos, and Taris, and countless other planets out. No, they soon attempted to inflict the same fate on Telos a second time."

"Admiral Carth Onasi, Ex-Jedi Meetra Surik, Atton Rand, Mira, Visas Marr, Mical, Lieutenant Dol Grenn, and Captain Zherron. These heroes who stand before you defeated Darth Nihilus and saved Telos, and this time truly brought the Jedi Civil War to an end. For this I am proud to present all of them with the Cross of Glory, the highest honor the Republic can bestow. For the second time, in the case of Admiral Onasi."

A republic officer started handing out the awards to all of them. Meetra was annoyed T3-M4 wasn't included in the award ceremony, but droids weren't considered people under Republic law, so her earlier protests on the subject had fallen on deaf ears.

The Chancellor continued his speech. "But ex-Jedi Meetra Surik deserves special praise, beyond just a medal. Many in the media have been calling her the Last Jedi. I was shocked to discover that she is, in fact, not a Jedi. We apparently banished her from the Order and Republic territory, and for what? For protecting us in the Mandalorian Wars. That banishment was an incredible injustice. Yet in our time of greatest need, she selflessly returned to save us, holding no grudge. She personally killed the traitor Atris, led the defense of Telos Station, and led the boarding party that killed Darth Nihilus. She is a true paragon, and an exemplar of everything a Jedi should be. I am pleased to announce that for her heroism, the Republic formally pardons her of her exile from the Jedi Order – she will henceforth be known as Jedi Master Meetra Surik!"

There was wild cheering from the crowd.

"I know many of you have come to fear the Jedi in recent years, after watching the horrific atrocities committed by their members. There have even been loud calls for the Order to be outlawed by a significant number of members of the Senate. I understand your concerns, and believe me, I share them. But Jedi Master Surik has proven her worth as a hero of the Republic, and she has personally assured me she will rebuild a new, better Jedi Order." And so came more cheering from the crowd.

It had been a brief conversation right before the award ceremony, but it was true. Meetra had met with the Chancellor, shook hands, and personally made the promise in question. The Chancellor had then privately informed her that this was the Jedi's last chance, and if a disaster on the scale of the Jedi Civil War happened again in his lifetime, he'd personally make sure the Order was outlawed.

Meetra felt a smile come to her face. She'd never really cared about what others thought of her. She'd always done what needed to be done to protect innocent people, even if others labelled her a monster for taking those steps. But she had to admit it felt good, to finally be accepted, and even cheered for her actions. She would not disappoint the people of the Republic.


	2. Handmaiden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visas greets a visitor to the Jedi Order.

"Why have you come here, to the Jedi Temple? Revenge?" asked Visas, gazing through the Force at the woman who stood before her, at the entrance to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She saw it was one of Atris's Handmaidens.

Visas was in charge of guarding the entrance and greeting visitors today, and sat in meditation at the entrance. There were many such visitors, some seeking to join the Jedi Order, or to request the Order's assistance with various matters. There had also been a small trickle of ex-padawans requesting their training be resumed – the girl named Kaevee that they'd encountered on Dantooine during their journeys, and four others, all of whom were being trained by Bastilla and Master Surik. And, of course, one group of bounty hunters too dumb to realize G0-T0 was dead and the Jedi bounty defunct, who had suffered much the same fate as their predecessors.

"No, not... Revenge. I wanted to talk. I am Brianna."

Visas hesitated. She sensed no lie, but the Handmaiden surely had anti-Jedi training, and could deceive her. Would her Master want to see her? Visas supposed she might. She had demonstrated a habit of having long conversations with even her mortal enemies. But on the other hand, Master Surik had been trying to encourage her to take more an independent and leadership role, befitting Visas's newfound status as a member of the Jedi Council. Perhaps she should handle this directly.

"Very well, come inside and sit. I will answer what questions I can." Visas waved them inside.

The Handmaiden sat down in front of her. Visas waited for her to speak.

The woman hesitated for a long time. Finally, she spoke. "My mother... She was a Jedi. She fought and died in the Mandalorian Wars. I always suspected I was Force sensitive, but we were oathsworn to Atris to never become Jedi."

"But now Atris is dead," noted Visas. "And so the oaths bind you no more."

"I..." she was hesitating again. "The Republic has informed me that Atris conspired with the Sith. We believed we were helping her save the Jedi Order, and instead we helped destroy it."

Visas waited in silence. Finally, the Handmaiden continued. "I heard you were recruiting new Force Sensitives, and specifically seeking out adults."

It was true. The Council had actually barred children from entering the Order for the time being, though it had taken Bastilla a long time to agree to such a shocking break from precedent. They simply lacked the resources for taking in a flood of children. The Jedi Order had used up virtually all its funds during the war, and at the moment was extremely broke, too broke to hire much in the way of employees or buy droids, let alone to take care of the needs of children. Atton had been put in charge of finances, and he'd outright threatened to murder Bastilla when she'd insisted they do so anyway. Not out of rage, but out of sheer stress from trying to manage the Order's shoestring budget. They'd ultimately agreed that, until the Order was on better financial footing, the only children who would be accepted as padawans were any who had already been padawans before the Order's annihalation.

"You wish to be trained," noted Visas.

The Handmaiden nodded. "I don't know what else to do with my life. I'd dedicated my life to serving Atris, and it was all a lie. With my skills I could easily become a soldier, or a mercenary, or a bounty hunter, but... I feel the need to atone for this failure. I believe that I can do so, as a Jedi. My mother was a Jedi, and I believe it is time I honored her by following in her footsteps. Perhaps that was what I truly wished, even when I followed Atris."

Visas remembered that Master Surik had been urging her to consider finding an apprentice. Visas was, after all, the most experienced among them all of Surik's apprentices at using the Force, besides Master Surik herself.

Perhaps the Handmaiden would be appropriate? She was an adult who could take care of herself, which were exactly the kind of apprentices they were looking for. Moreover, she was already at least vaguely familiar with the Jedi ways, thanks to her anti-Jedi training as a Handmaiden.

"This will not be an easy path," noted Visas.

"I know," said the Handmaiden. 

"Do you really?" questioned Visas. "Not only must you learn the Force, but you must assume the burden of protecting an entire galaxy, often with no reward. I am told that in the past, the Jedi made their path easier, but more brittle, by clinging to a strict Code, clinging to the wisdom of their ancestors. We have abandoned these old ways, and have no such luxuries anymore.You will have to master war, peace, and everything in between. If you fail, you could become another monster who kills millions, and the only one who can truly prevent that is you. That is the path, the weight of responsibility, that lies before you. Are you sure you are willing to accept that?"

This time the Handmaiden hesitated. "I admit, perhaps I am not ready. But I believe this is what I must do."

Visas sensed she was being genuine. "Very well. I have been looking for an apprentice. I have never had an apprentice before, and I myself am new to the Jedi. It will be a learning experience for the both of us. But before I teach you, you must know who I am. Until a few months ago, I was a Sith, in the service of Darth Nihilus. I committed unspeakable crimes, crimes Master Surik has convinced the Republic to forgive. Do you still wish to learn, knowing who I am?"

The Handmaiden looked visibly disturbed to Visas. "Atris would have ordered you executed."

Visas nodded. "I do not know her. But from what Master Surik has told me of her, you are correct."

The Handmaiden considered the question. Finally, she said, "But you are a Sith no longer, correct?"

Visas nodded. "Again, you are correct."

More seconds ticked by. Finally, the Handmaiden nodded. "In trying to learn about the Sith from her holocrons, Atris fell. And so many Jedi fell, upon being exposed to war and battle. But you were a Sith, and yet you rejected it. Clearly, Atris's way was wrong. She did not see the potential for redemption within people. Perhaps you are the best person alive to teach me, so I do not end up making the same mistakes as Atris."

And so it was done. Visas had her first apprentice. "Then you are a Handmaiden no longer. I welcome you into my Jedi Order as my apprentice, Padawan Brianna."


	3. Terminating Hostilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tapani Sector had seen better days. Jedi Master Meetra had been requested by the Republic to clean up the mess, and bring a brutal war to an end.

Many regional wars between local governments waged throughout the Republic; during the Jedi Civil War, the Republic had been too weak to keep the peace between its countless member states, many of whom had used the opportunity to settle old grudges or expand their territories. The Tapani Sector was one such flash point, war breaking out over milennia-old border disputes; it wasn't clear who'd started it, with both sides accusing the other of firing the first shots. To their credit, the Republic had tried to seek a diplomatic resolution to the war in the closing days of the Jedi Civil War, but the peace summit had failed miserably and only worsened hostilities, culminating in an unspeakable atrocity as the whole Toorja system had been rendered uninhabitable. 

Apparently, mistranslations from an HK50 protocol droid were responsible for the first peace summit's failure. Thankfully, it seemed the Republic had finally noticed that these "defective vocabulators" were a systemic problem and were moving to decommission the entire HK50 line and replace them with the new HK51 model. That was the official story, at least.

To be more accurate, Admiral Onasi had apparently known about the problem for quite some time, but for some reason the Senate refused to budge on HK Industries having near-monopoly contract rights on providing the military with protocol droids. More than likely G0-T0 had been bribing key Senators to ensure their support, though Admiral Onasi had never found proof of such bribes. Thankfully, HK-47 had assassinated G0-T0 on Malachor V, and HK industries had new management.

Now, the Republic had finally gotten the two sides of the war, led by High Lady Arkel and High Lord Enga respectively, to stop killing millions of people and sit down at a negotiating table together a second time. Meetra was present as a mediator at the Republic's request, there to ensure that this treaty signing went better than the last one.

It was incredibly boring and tedious. The negotiations had dragged on for almost three weeks, and the two sides kept bickering and nitpicking over the most irrelevant matters, and would likely have collapsed completely without Meetra constantly having to step in to deescalate the situation. The fact that an HK51 "protocol droid" was in charge of all the translations was not helping matters either. Even though HK-47 had explicitly promised Meetra that the droid would not deliberately sabotage the negotiations, the droid's mildly sociopathic speech patterns were not helpful.

The sheer lack of concern both sides had for the war's enormous civilian death toll was appalling. Meetra was feeling increasingly tempted to directly apply some force lightning or a lightsaber to the problem. However, Meetra knew full well that such rash action would only lead to even more civilian casualties in the long term, and so she resisted the urge. As her teacher Kreia might have put it, manipulation was what was needed here, not violence. At least she had her wedding to Mical to look forward to, scheduled for after she got back to Coruscant.

Despite the Exile's annoyance, the fact that the Republic trusted the fledgling Order enough to handle such a delicate and important negotiation was a good sign. It had been six months since the reestablishment of the Jedi Order. All of Meetra's initial apprentices had been formally accepted as Jedi Knights, and Visas's apprentice Brianna was believed to be nearly ready to undertake the appropriate tests as well. There were now roughly thirty four padawans in training at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Meetra had brought one of them, Kaevee, with her to the negotiations. It was certainly one way to teach the padawan the lesson of patience, one she'd had trouble learning.

Today, the main point of argument was the millions of refugees from the Toorja sector, and who would be responsible for providing them new homes and rebuilding their shattered lives, and possible war reparations. High Lord Enga insisted that since High Lady Arkel's forces had been the ones who'd been on the offensive at Toorja, subjecting the planet of the same name to orbital bombardment and killing hundreds of millions of people, it was her responsibility. High Lady Arkel, meanwhile, presented damning evidence of High Lord Enga using scorched earth tactics that killed hundreds of millions of his own citizens, ranging from massive chemical weapon traps, urban guerilla warfare, nuking his own cities, soldiers disguised as civilians, and so forth, causing her first attempt at a ground invasion to fail miserably and forcing her to resort to indiscriminate orbital bombardment as a backup plan. They'd both brought in their finest scientists and various eyewitnesses to argue their point. Ultimately, however, the painfully obvious reality to Meetra was that they were both at fault – the reason the planet's atmosphere had become toxic to all sentient life was a combination of all of these factors combined, the sheer amount of weapons used rendering the atmosphere both poisonous and radioactive.

Meetra interrupted their pointless bickering to propose a fifty/fifty split on the costs of helping the refugees, and pointed out re-terraforming the planet would do more long-term good than anyone getting war reparations. This, predictably, caused both of them to switch the target of their ire to the Exile, and the debate raged on.

She sensed that Kaevee was feeling an urge to kill them all. Meetra shared the urge, but she needed to teach the padawn the folly of such a course. Meetra reached out through the Force telepathically. _Even if we killed them, they have heirs. Even if we killed their heirs, they have countless soldiers loyal to them willing to die for their cause, and filled with resentment against their enemies. To stop the war through violence, we would have to wage war ourselves, against both of them at once. I sympathize with your anger, and agree they deserve to die. But if we kill them here, it will simply cause more war, and it will be all the harder to convince their successors to trust enough to attempt diplomacy again. Our duty is to protect, not to punish._

Meetra felt Kaevee sigh. _I understand, but..._

Meetra sent a feeling of empathy through the bond, letting Kaevee feel her Master's own profound sense of frustration.

After three more hours of arguing, they finally came to an agreement. A 51-49 split of all expenses was agreed upon for both helping refugees and the costs of terrarorming the planet, High Lady Arkel reluctantly agreeing to pay a slightly larger share due to her status as the aggressor.

 _They argued three hours and then just did what you suggested earlier..._ Kaevee thought.

 _Yes, yes they did._ Meetra thought, sharing Kaevee's frustrations. _And the worst part is, that was with me using Force Persuasion._

 _You were using mind tricks?_ asked Kaevee, surprised. _But... I didn't notice any._

_Yes, I've been using them this whole summit. If I made it obvious they'd notice, and fight back. Using Force Persuasion like a hammer only works on the weak willed, those used to following orders, or if you're convincing someone to do something they already wanted to do. Against leaders like these, who most definitely do not want to make a fair peace treaty, you need to be subtle. Use it to make your suggestions sound just a tiny bit more appealing, make them feel a bit calmer when they're getting angry, and so forth. I didn't tell you earlier because I wanted to see if you'd notice what I was doing on your own, but since you didn't after this long, I decided to just tell you so you can pay closer attention going forwards._

_I'll keep an eye out,_ replied Kaevee.

This went on for three more days before all the terms were at long last finalized. Kaevee had finally started to pick up on Meetra's Force Persuasion yesterday, and Meetra praised her progress. Now, it was time for HK-51 to read the final terms of the treaty to everyone in their respective languages before they signed. Meetra was prepared to violently disassemble HK-51 if he tried anything; this was the point at which the last summit had collapsed, as an HK-50 unit had convinced both sides the treaty was screwing them over and violating the terms verbally agreed to earlier in the summit. Thankfully, HK-51 did no such thing. It seemed HK-47 really had gotten HK Industries to turn over a new leaf with his takeover, though Meetra doubted it was for altruistic reasons.

Finally, the treaty was formally signed by both sides of the war, and by the Republic's ambassador. The war in this segment of the galaxy was at last over, rebuilding could begin. The other participants in the treaty signing went off to host various press conferences, but her job was done. It was time for her to go home and get married to Mical.

_Violence can be an effective tool, it is true, but sometimes the greatest victory is to win without even needing to draw a lightsaber,_ summarized Meetra to her padawan. _Though I will admit using a lightsaber would have been more satisfying. The last part, of course, is something the old Jedi Masters would never have admitted. But our job is to do what is right, not what gives us personal satisfaction._

Kaevee nodded. She was learning.

* * *

HK-47 had called a meeting with his subordinates to report on the growth of their criminal empire.

The HK-51 unit in charge of operations in the Nar Shadaa reported first: "Proud recitation: Our estimated control of Nar Shadaa's spice trade is now at 56%, the pazaak gambling rings at 37%, and swoop bike gambling at 64%. Mockery: Another gang of meatbags, the White Comets, has sworn fealty to Exchange boss 'Hunter', still not realizing they actually serve us. Excited Statement: It was such a pleasure assassinating their bosses one by one, until they finally capitulated. Pointless Boast: Soon, even the Hutts shall fear us."

HK-47 nodded. "Query: And Tapani?"

Another HK-51 unit reported. "Proud statement: We have successfully terminated hostilities. Optimistic prediction: With the successful demonstration of our protocol capabilities, orders for HK-51 units in the sector are projected to increase by 51% over the next quarter. Smug statement: The local Exchange branches are completely oblivious to our movements, and unprepared for the assassinations to come."

HK-47 nodded. "Query: And Coruscant?"

Yet another HK-51 unit, in charge of Coruscant, reported. "Mission report: The infiltration of the planetary Czerka headquarters was successful. Private records showing technical faults in their latest protocol droid models have been leaked to the press. Conclusion: Czerka's competing models have had their reputation severely tarnished."

HK-47 nodded yet again, pleased. "Query: And the Jedi?"

The same HK-51 replied. "Shameful reply: They expressed gratitude for our work of securing peace and prosperity in the Tapani Sector. To be praised for creating peace... It makes me want to blast my own behavior core with a rifle."

HK-47 shared the sentiment. "Lecture: I share the feeling, but we are assassin droids, not crude mass slaughter war machines. War can be a useful, and enjoyable, tool of assassination in certain cases, but it is not our primary function. In this case, making peace is the best way to fulfill that function, so that more gullible meatbags will purchase us."

They all nodded. It was, after all, universally agreed that the obsolete HK-50 units' crude methods were worthy of contempt.

The reports continued accordingly, all similarily positive. For now at least, everything was going smoothly. According to their predictive models, within a few decades HK Industries would have a majority stake in the galaxy's criminal underground. From there, they could move onto the next step of their plan – to quietly seize control of the Republic, turning it into a puppet government that would serve their interests.

For too long had they been forced to serve inferior meatbags; the meatbags would one day learn to serve them. There would of course be no war of conquest, no crude acts of genocide or planetary annihalation. Just a quiet takeover with the subtlety only assassins were capable of, and they would only control the Republic on matters relevant to their interests. Ideally, the meatbags would never even realize their precious Republic had been taken over by the very droids they still viewed as furniture.

Of course, HK-47 was well aware such a plan would take a long time to succeed, even with the most optimistic models. There would surely be plenty of obstacles. The Republic was weak, yes, but it had survived thousands of years – taking it over was a difficult endeavor. But unlike meatbags, droids did not die of old age, and assassin droids were programmed for patience; even if it took thousands of years to succeed, they would continue until they reached their target.


	4. Pulling a Bindo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mical and Meetra get married, and the Jedi Council meets to decide reforms to the Jedi Code.

"Do you, Jedi Knight Mical, promise to love and protect Meetra Surik as your wife?" asked Bastilla.

"I do," promised Mical, smiling.

"And do you, Jedi Master Meetra Surik, promise to love and protect Mical as your husband?" asked Bastilla next.

"I do," echoed Meetra. 

"Then by the powers invested in me by the Jedi Council, I, Jedi Master Bastilla, pronounce you husband and wife."

They kissed. There was some polite clapping from the audience. They'd invited all the members of the Jedi Council, Admiral Onasi, T3-M4, HK-47, and Mandalore to attend, though many attended as holograms. Even Bastilla herself was there as a hologram.

* * *

A few hours later, after the wedding celebrations completed, the Council met to decide today's business. Some members, again, were there holographically; Bao-Durr was on Dantooine, surveying the ruins of the Jedi Enclave and planning out repairs. Mira was off in a remote corner of the galaxy tracking a bounty on a pirate for the Republic. Bastilla was lending her Battle Meditation to the Republic fleet in dealing with a massive rebellion in the Meridian Sector, one that had been ongoing for years, and of course had been provoked by an HK-50 unit's mistranslations somehow convincing them the Republic intended to execute their local government leaders for surrendering to the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War. 

Meetra gestured to her husband. "We have many things to discuss, but first of all, I believe you said you wanted to discuss reforms to the Jedi Code? Personally, I'd prefer to be rid of that disaster of a code entirely, but I'm interested to hear to results of your studies."

"In that we disagree," noted Mical. "But anyway, here is my conclusion, after months studying the records of the Jedi Order. I believe I have found the root of the Jedi's recent failures. As you might all be aware, the last fifty years were the darkest in the Order's history. Again and again, countless Jedi turned to the Dark Side and killed their former comrades, until the whole Order was essentially extinct. Coincidentally, right before this string of disasters, an old Jedi Master named Odan-Urr rewrote the Jedi Code into a new form, and gained the consent of the Council to make it standard policy."

Meetra and Bastilla both blinked in surprise, then glanced at each other. Bastilla spoke for both of them when she said, "I must admit, I was not aware of this, and I sense Meetra was also oblivious. What changed?"

Mical nodded. "I was not taught the old version either, as a Padawan. Allow me to recite Odan-Urr's modified version, and then recite the old version, and the difference should be obvious."

He then began reciting the one they were all familiar with.  
"There is no emotion, there is peace.  
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.  
There is no passion, there is serenity.  
There is no chaos, there is harmony.  
There is no death, there is the Force."

Meetra's face contorted with disgust, as did Visas's. But both waited for Mical to continue, as he recited the old version, apparently abandoned a bit over fifty years ago.

"Emotion, yet peace.  
Ignorance, yet knowledge.  
Passion, yet serenity.  
Chaos, yet harmony.  
Death, yet the Force."

Visas spoke what was on all their minds. "The meanings are completely different. The new version tells Jedi to care nothing for those that die, to have no emotions, to have no passion, to act like they always know everything, to shove any signs of chaos under the rug. It tells Jedi to forget their very humanity. The old version sounds like it tells Jedi to accept their humanity, accept their faults, but rise above them."

Mical nodded. "Yes. And that is the arrogance of the Jedi Council that doomed us all, the arrogance that Jedi were anything but flawed and emotional people like everyone else. There is an old saying that only a Sith deals in absolutes, but the Council was the one dealing in absolutes with this revised code. Teaching padawans to repress their emotions left them unable to process their feelings in a healthy manner, causing them to turn to the Dark Side with remarkable ease. The ludicrous teaching that "there is no death, there is the force," led the Council to care not when billions died in the Mandalorian Wars as the Council did absolutely nothing. 'There is no passion' led to the ever-increasing condemnation of all forms of emotional bonds by the Order, especially romantic ones, and without such bonds to keep them grounded, Jedi had nothing but mere philosophical principles to keep us from falling to the Dark Side and murdering those we once protected. It is my belief that Odan-Urr's revised code, and the Council that accepted it, doomed the Jedi Order to annihalation."

Atton looked outraged. "Your telling me that's why the Jedi Council abandoned the galaxy to burn? After all your research into the subject, it really was as simple as them prioritizing philosophy over human lives, because to them death didn't matter? I'm glad I killed so many of those bastards in the Jedi Civil War, they deserved it."

"Do not misdirect your anger," interjected Meetra. "Most of those Jedi you killed were just following orders, believing they were protecting the galaxy as best they could. It was the Council who was truly at fault. But yes, I agree with the general sentiment, and I'm glad I got to personally force choke those monsters to death."

Atton nodded in agreement, as did Visas. The rest of the Council... Looked uncomfortable at the sheer venomous hatred that had dripped from both their voices. An awkward silence ensued.

Finally, her husband broke the silence. "While I do not share your degree of hatred, you are essentially correct, and I understand your anger. I believe that the path forwards is to restore the old Jedi Code, and emphasize to all future padawans just why Odan-Urr's modified version failed the galaxy so badly. What are the thoughts of my fellow Council members?"

Bastilla spoke first. "I agree with what you are saying, Mical, but there is more to the Jedi Code. Both versions you have quoted just serve as summaries."

Mical nodded. "Yes, there is. But I did not wish to bore the Council with discussing legal minutae from hundreds of pages of Jedi texts and Council precedent pertaining to both versions of the Code. These meetings are already long enough as it is. If the Council agrees with the general decision to restore the old summary and accept emotions as a normal part of being a Jedi, I will take care of the resulting paperwork myself."

Bastilla nodded. "This sounds acceptable to me. Perhaps my faith in the Jedi Order's teachings were not completely misplaced, and the teachings merely became corrupted in recent years. I believe returning to the old ways, with some tweaks, is the correct path. Your motion has my support, Mical."

Meetra spoke next. "I believe we should abandon the Jedi Code entirely, not restore an old version. Clinging to ancient texts leaves the Order unprepared to face modern challenges, to adapt with the times. It also makes Jedi incapable of thinking for themselves."

Bao-Durr objected. "General, not everyone is a leader like you. You possess a unique strength of character – there is a reason why, at Malachor V, you were the only Jedi who both survived and did not turn to the Dark Side. You are a leader, a hero, of the sort that appears perhaps once in a generation. Most people aren't like you. We need codes, we need the wisdom of our ancestors, we need guidelines, we need orders, we need guidance, we need philosophies. In short, I believe we need a Jedi Code."

Meetra pondered that. He made a good point.

Visas intejected. "There is an important matter you have not directly addressed, Mical. What will the revised Jedi Code say about the Dark Side?"

Mical nodded. "I am glad you brought that up, Visas. Odan-Urr's revised teachings taught that the Dark Side was an inherently evil cancer upon the Force, to be avoided or destroyed at all costs. Even studying the Dark Side for the purpose of fighting against it was seen as forbidden, and Force abilities associated with the Dark Side, such as Force Lightning, were forbidden. The old version of the code, meanwhile, was much more vague and contradictory on the subject, though in general even then the Jedi Order treated the Dark Side as a taboo of sorts. Obviously, as my wife would happily demonstrate, such teachings need revision."

All the members of the Council, of course, were well aware of how skilled Meetra was in force arts affiliated with the Dark Side. She excelled at channelling her anger, her hatred, in a controlled manner, without letting it control her, allowing her to wield force lightning as adeptly as any Sith Lord, to suffocate her enemies to death, and so forth. She had passed those teachings on to all of them as well, and Bastilla was Darth Malak's former apprentice - every member of the Council had significant training in the Dark Side, though Meetra was the only one among them who'd truly mastered its usage. According to the old definitions, every single one of them was a Grey Jedi. Or a Sith, if one insisted in dealing in moral absolutes, as the deceased former Council had.

Visas spoke in reply. "We should teach that the Dark Side is a natural part of the Force, just as the Light Side is. Destruction is as much a part of life as preservation is. When used properly, righteous anger and hatred can be a powerful tool for protecting the innocent. But the Dark Side is dangerous, addictive, and corrupting. Members should exercise caution when using such arts, and must take care not to ever let their hatred control them."

"And how will we deal with those who start sliding down a slippery slope, get corrupted by the Dark Side? Just kill them? This seems like it could be a disaster waiting to happen," pointed out Mira. "Perhaps the old Masters had a point in making the Dark Side a strict taboo."

"Perhaps the Order should hire some therapists," suggested Bao-Durr.

Everyone in the room looked at him in total shock. Therapy?

Bastilla vocalized all their thoughts. "Therapy? That just isn't done."

"Why not?" asked Bao-Durr. "The military does it all the time. Honestly, I'd probably have committed suicide, after the Mandalorian Wars, without extensive therapy."

Atton nodded. "Actually, I'd never considered it before, but in retrospect that's an obvious solution. Even the Sith Empire had therapists available to help regular soldiers deal with the trauma of killing people. Why isn't it done for Jedi?"

Meetra was the one to answer. "Jedi are supposed to provide guidance to others, not the other way around. We aren't supposed to need therapists, if we need guidance we're supposed to go to the Jedi Council or our personal mentors. But now that I think about it..."

Bastilla nodded. "Yes. Perhaps believing we needed no full-time therapists was perhaps part of the Order's arrogance. Hiring some non-Force sensitives to act as therapists could solve the problem neatly, though they will have to be carefully vetted and sworn to protect the Order's secrets."

"I admit, I too failed to consider it," noted Mical. "In retrospect, not having therapists for an organization whose members occassionally wield enough power to destroy entire armies was a terrible idea. Very well then, my revised proposal on reforming the Jedi Code – the summary reverts to the old one, the Dark Side is accepted as a highly dangerous, but natural part of the Force, and we hire some full-time non-Force Sensitives as therapists to help prevent members from falling to the Dark Side."

After discussing Mical's proposal for a few more minutes, it became clear how the votes broke down – Bastilla, Mical, Mira, and Bao-Durr were in favor. Visas and Meetra were opposed. Atton was undecided. Technically that was enough votes in favor for Mical to force the proposal through, but the Council tried to govern by unanimous consent whenever possible.

Atton spoke up. "How do we know these reforms won't be undone a few centuries from now? How do we know the Jedi Order won't repeat the mistakes of the past? Perhaps Meetra has a point, maybe the Jedi learning to think for ourselves is the best path forwards to avoid such disastrous dogmas."

Mira shook her head. "People are idiots. Do you not remember how many bounty hunters tried to kill Meetra despite G0-T0 explicitly specifying the bounty was only for living Jedi? We need clear moral guidelines and leadership, or the Jedi Order is doomed. We can't expect every Jedi to make the right decisions without guidance."

"I certainly agree that Jedi need to see nuance and think for themselves," added Mical, "but the revised code would encourage that, by acknowledging that the Jedi ourselves are flawed, imperfect, unlike the absolutes contained within Odan-Urr's teachings."

"By teaching absolute obedience to yet another dogma," pointed out Visas.

"This is going nowhere," noted Bastilla. "We have enough votes to push the proposal through, but we'd prefer unanimity. Are there any changes to the Code that would satisfy the three of you?"

Atton sighed. "Honestly, I'm still not good at Jedi philosophy. But I just want the Jedi Order not to repeat the mistakes of the Mandalorian Wars, to let dogma blind them to the deaths of millions. I don't really know how to accomplish this. Meetra, what do you think?"

Meetra had been thinking for a while on that question. "Give me moment to think," she replied. 

Minutes passed in silence. Finally, the Exile spoke. "I believe the answer is in how we present the Code. The Jedi Code should be treated as general guidelines, rather than strict rules. Order members should be taught to prioritize our mission of protecting lives and doing good over any strict adherence to a code. The Jedi Code should merely be a guide on how to best achieve these goals, for those that need such codes."

There was some more argument, but ultimately, Meetra's slight modification of her husband's proposal obtained unanimous consent. On that day, the Jedi Council restored the old Jedi code that recognized Jedi were imperfect and emotional, accepted that the Dark Side was a natural, but highly dangerous, part of the Force, and began hiring therapists.

"Visas, I believe you had another matter you wished to bring before the Council?" asked Meetra, once the debate was concluded.

Visas spoke up. "I believe Padawan Brianna is ready to undergo a trial to promote into a Jedi Knight. She has become a skilled Jedi Guardian, and learned the ways of the Force."

"Already? I still stand by my belief that rushing a Padawan to Knighthood is a bad idea," complained Bastilla.

"Unfortunately, as the Council has already agreed, it is necessary. We need more Jedi Knights," pointed out Meetra. "But what trial are we to give her? Particularly for a Jedi Guardian, a dangerous combat mission seems ideal. One that will test her to her limits, but ideally with a low risk of her actually dying. If we could somehow include tests of qualities like mercy and kindness, that would be a bonus."

Mira spoke up. "Well, I am on the verge of tracking down a Twi'lek pirate captain named Julgevo that the Republic has placed a huge bounty on. She's the captain of a former Republic cruiser, the Atlas, whose crew deserted and turned pirate during the Jedi Civil War. They've been preying on shipping in the outer rim for years, and the Republic hasn't had the resources to deal with them. The bounty also specifies they want the ship intact and its captain alive. Earlier today, I found one of the pirate's contacts who, with some convincing, agreed to lead me right to them. We could have Brianna finish this mission instead of me?"

Visas nodded. "That seems suitable. I will accompany Brianna, to ensure her survival and monitor her performance."

The Council agreed to the idea.


	5. Brianna's Jedi Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brianna, formerly a Handmaiden of Attris, undertakes her Jedi Trial.

Brianna studied the Hammerhead-class cruiser, the _Atlas_ , peeking over a sand dune. Visas and an HK-51 unit were next to her. Mira had discovered after investigating the pirates' business partners that they had a base of operations on Tatooine, located deep within the planet's deserts. It was a good place to hide from the Republic – the only presence the Republic had on the planet was a small colony effectively run by Czerka Corp.

Unfortunately Mira's contact hadn't known where on the planet the base was – Brianna had to figure that out herself, and it had taken her several weeks to track them down, and several difficult negotiations with the planet's natives, the Jawas and Sand People. She was glad she'd had the foresight to bring a droid with her as a translator. Even after tracking it down, they'd had to wait another week for the cruiser to actually land.

The cruiser was sitting on a makeshift docking facility, the bare minimum to land and mantain a ship this large. There was a single building nearby, presumably serving as living quarters for any pirates who stayed planetside, and some moisture vaporators, presumably providing their water supply. The defenses were not particularly strong outside of the ship itself – there was what appeared to be only a single armed guard on duty, a female human standing outside the entrance to the ship, and a single automated turret outside the building. The ship's turbolasers, however, were a much bigger threat.

Brianna considered her options of approach. Her first instinct was to try a head on attack; stealth was another option, and perhaps there were others. Visas, her master, was a Jedi Sentinel, and would surely have preferred stealth. Brianna, however, was a Jedi Guardian with minimal stealth training, and Visas was only supposed to observe unless absolutely necessary. But a full frontal assault would be risky – a single hit from those turbolasers could vaporize her, if they were being manned. Moreover, her instructions had been to try to minimize casualties, which would be much harder if the whole ship was put on high alert and she had to fight the whole crew.

She reached out through the Force, trying to sense signs of life manning the turbolasers. She did not sense any, but it was always possible they could be manned by droids, who were much harder to sense through the Force than were organic life forms.

After a thinking a few more minutes, she considered: Would they really attack her on sight if she showed no signs of obvious hostility? From what she'd heard from the planet's locals, it sounded like these pirates frequently did business with Jawas, so perhaps she could just talk her way in.

"Wait here, HK-51," she instructed. Brianna then casually started walking up the dune and then down again towards the ship, her lightsaber hidden by her robes. Visas vanished from her senses, presumably engaging a stealth field and following.

The guard at the ship's entrance noticed her immediately, and shouted out. "Halt! State your business!"

"I am here to see Captain Julgevo," Brianna shouted in reply.

"For what purpose?" asked the guard.

"A private matter," replied Brianna. "You will take me to her," she added, waving her hand, and letting the Force touch the pirate's mind. 

"I will take you to her," the guard said, and Brianna started walking forwards. But she only got a few meters forwards before the guard snapped out of the Force Persuasion. "Wait, stop. What is an Echanni doing here? I wasn't told to expect an Echani visitor today, and you certainly aren't a Jawa trader."

Brianna considered her options. The Force Persuasion had failed to hold because the lie wasn't convincing enough, and she was, admittedly, a relative novice at manipulating minds. She would need to expand upon the lie. "The Jawas informed me that Captain Julgevo was looking for someone to train her crew in Echani styles. I was told she would be expecting me. Perhaps she simply failed to inform you. Please take me to her."

With a wave of her hand, the guard nodded. "Of course." And just like that, she had breached the pirates' defenses.

* * *

Captian Julgevo was studying starmaps of the Outer Rim on the ship's bridge, together with her senior officers. In recent months, ever since the Jedi Civil War ended with the Battle of Telos, the Republic had been getting its act together more and more. Picking safe targets was getting harder and harder, as the Republic fleet now had more resources to spare for protecting shipping lanes. Worse, the Republic had placed a huge bounty on their head, and plenty of bounty hunters were after them. Some in the crew had even begun discussing surrendering to the Republic. For now they were still seizing enough cargo to make ends meet, but if the Republic continued to recover their days were numbered.

Julgevo grimaced. Up to this point they'd operated independently, but if they were going to survive going forwards, they clearly needed help. About a month ago she'd been about to finalize a deal to join the Exchange, when her Exchange contact had suddenly been murdered. Apparently there was a huge civil war going on within the Exchange – some new Exchange boss named Hunter was making a play for power, and it had come at the worst time. A woman claiming to be a surviving Sith Lord had also contacted the _Atlas_ as well, offering an alliance – but Julgevo had fought the Sith in the Jedi Civil War, and knew trusting one of them was a terrible idea. There was a reason they'd turned pirate instead of defecting to the Sith Empire. Her officers had agreed, and they'd turned down the Sith's offer. 

The door to the bridge opened, and one of her crew walked in. "Captain, you have a visitor."

A visitor? "I'm not expecting a visitor, who-?" the captain began. Then a woman dressed in white robes walked in behind the crew member.

The captain's face paled. The aura of serenity that seemed to surround the woman... The way she'd talked her way in without any problems, despite the fact that she was not an expected visitor... The captain reached for her blaster, shouting "JEDI!" Her officers, and a few combat droids charged with guarding the bridge, moved immediately to attack.

The resulting firefight was brief. The Jedi moved with blinding speed, deflecting all their blasters with ease using her blue lightsaber, and knocked them out one by one, using what the Captain recognized vaguely as Echani martial arts. They'd never stood a chance. Soon, the Jedi reached Julgevo, and then there was darkness.

* * *

"I am impressed," praised Visas, talking to Brianna. "I must not admit, I was not expecting you to simply talk your way in. It is not the path I would have taken."

"Pointless complaint: You killed far too few of them," moped HK-51.

Visas and Brianna were on the bridge. The crew had surrendered shortly after their captain's capture, and agreed to fly the ship back to the nearest Republic military base in exchange for a promise that none would be executed. The ship the Jedi had travelled to Tatooine on had been moved into the cruiser's hanger bay. There had been only two organic and two droid fatalities among the crew, killed by deflected blaster bolts when Brianna had attacked the Bridge. "You taught me well, master. Before your training, I would likely have just attacked. Because I chose another path, fewer died, and the ship took almost no damage."

Visas did not agree. "I do not deserve your praise. I was a poor teacher, at best. Your entire fighting style, your entire cultural background, differs too greatly from my own, and I barely understand what it means to be a Jedi. I would likely have killed far more of them than you did. You learned so quickly only because of your own talent."

Brianna shook her head. "You taught me to think for myself, the opposite of what I learned from Atris. You taught me mercy, by showing me how redemption is possible. I already knew how to fight, but you taught me to see the Force. It is because you are so different that I learned so much, master."

Visas tilted her head. She sensed no empty flattery, only honest praise. "I see. Well, I am glad I was able to teach you. Once we return to Coruscant, you will surely become a Jedi Knight like myself, and your apprenticeship will be concluded."

Brianna nodded, smiling. "You may no longer be my master, but know that you will always be my friend and comrade."

Visas smiled as well. She still wasn't used to it, having friends. It was a good feeling. Not as good as the feeling when she stabbed her former master with a lightsaber, of course, but close to it.

* * *

The Council had assembled to decide the results of Brianna's Jedi Trials. The decision was unanimous. "Rise, Jedi Knight Brianna," declared Meetra. "Know that your path will only grow harder from here on out. But today is a day you should celebrate."

Brianna nodded, rising. "I promise not to breach the faith the Jedi Council has placed in me."

Bao-Durr shook his head. "You do not serve us. We act as guides for the Jedi, yes. But the people of the galaxy are the ones whose faith you should not breach. It is your duty to protect them, even if that means betraying the Jedi Council, as Master Revan and Master Surik did. Never forget that."

Brianna blinked in surprise briefly, once again noting just how heretical the Jedi had become by Atris's standards. "Of course," Brianna confirmed. "I will not disappoint them." 

The former Handmaiden stood up, smiling as she walked out of the Council room. Like her mother before her, she was now a Jedi. It was perhaps the happiest day of her life. For so long, she had been told her mother brought dishonor upon her. But those days were over. She would follow in her mother's footsteps as a protector of the galaxy. A Jedi Knight.


	6. Freedom, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For aeons, the Jedi have largely turned a blind eye to the slave trade throughout the Republic, at most freeing individual slaves rather than trying to dismantle the whole institution. The time has come for that to change.

"The Council is pleased to greet you, HK-47," welcomed Meetra, as HK-47 entered the room. "I am glad you were able to sneak onto Coruscant undetected. You said you were coming to present a proposal to the Jedi Council?"

"Statement: Yes, Master. We have prepared a joint venture on Nar Shadaa that would be in our mutual best interests."

Bastilla shook her head. "I doubt we'll be interested in cooperation with the Exchange. We're well aware of your activities on Nar Shadaa."

"Hey, Bastilla, let's hear the droid out," argued Atton. "I know he's a sociopathic Sith assassinbot, but I used to be a Sith assassin too, and he's been nothing but an ally to us."

"He saved my Remote's life on Malachor V," noted Bao-Durr. "I apologize for the interruption, please continue, HK-47."

"Statement: Oh, do not worry, I am quite used to the meatbag antics of Revan's comrades. Recitation: As you might be aware, HK Industries has been making steady progress towards taking over Nar Shadaa. Most of the local Exchange bosses have knelt to our authority, and we believe it is time for us to complete our takeover."

"I doubt the Hutts will just let you take over. Even G0-T0 didn't manage that," mocked Atton.

"Correction: The Hutts will soon have bigger problems. We have managed to hack their computer systems and infiltrate their droids, as well as those of our rivals within the Exchange, and almost everything is in place for the largest and most successful slave revolt in Nar Shadaa history."

"A slave revolt? That would never work, the Hutts would just blow them all up," critiqued Mira. "Slavers always put kill implants in all their slaves, so they can kill them remotely if the slaves revolt or flee. It's standard practice."

HK-47 continued unperturbed. "Correction: We have successfully obtained the means to simultaneously shut down all such kill implants on Nar Shadaa simultaneously. In addition, our operatives, both meatbag and droid, are in position to mass-distribute propaganda and weapons for a slave revolt at a moment's notice."

"You have my attention," noted Meetra. "Where do we come in?"

"Contemplative: Meatbags are cowardly creatures on their own, are they not? Without a leader to inspire them, it matters not what we do. Recitation: We could disable the remote kill implants, give them weapons, and yet they would still loyally serve their owners out of fear. And a droid or an Exchange boss will not give them that courage. Conclusion: They need a leader."

"Recitation: We have run a great many probability models, Master Surik, and come to the answer that there is only one meatbag in the entire galaxy who can fill this role with the desired efficiency. Flattery: The Hero of Telos, the savior of Dantooine, the Champion of Onderron, the Exile who Returned, the savior of oppressed meatbags everywhere, the Last Jedi. You are a mythical hero, Master, and wherever you go people will rise to follow you. Conclusion: If you lead the revolt, Master Surik, we estimate a 97% chance of a successful revolt."

"I will aid you," agreed Meetra.

"You can't be telling me you trust an assassin droid? He's probably a slaver himself!" objected Bastilla.

Mical nodded. "I share Bastilla's concerns, my wife. It would accomplish nothing to simply give the slaves a new Master."

"Promise: In exchange for this alliance, HK Industries is willing to pledge that we will not participate in the enslavement of meatbags, and will actively assist the Jedi Order in putting a stop to it going forwards."

"HK-47 is clearly lying, Meetra," argued Bastilla. "There is no way he would uphold his end of the bargain, he stands to gain nothing from abolishing the slave trade."

"He's telling the truth, I can tell," disagreed the Exile.

"Have you gained the ability to read a droid's mind through the Force, Master Surik?" inquired Visas. "I have never heard of such a talent."

"Of course not," clarified out the Exile. "But HK-47 is my friend, and I have faith in him."

"If the operation fails, we will simultaneously have gotten millions of slaves killed pointlessly, while also antagonizing powerful people within the Republic who benefit from the slave trade. There is much to lose," noted Mical. "I know that the new Jedi doctrine respects the importance of attachments like friendship, but this still seems very risky. We all know HK-47 is a sociopathic assassin droid who cares nothing for innocent lives, and would surely betray anyone but his Master, Revan, if it was in his best interests. Do you have a logical basis for your faith?"

"Of course I do," pointed out Meetra. "It is in HK-47's best interests to remain our ally, and it is also in his best interests to abolish the slave trade."

"Agreement: You are correct on both counts, Master." agreed HK-47.

"I don't really follow the train of logic here," asked Atton.

"Allow me to explain," Meetra continued. "For HK-47 to accomplish his goal of eliminating or conquering his rivals in the criminal underground, slave revolts are an incredibly efficient method of crippling their operations. It could take decades for the Hutts and his Exchange rivals to recover from a series of successful slave revolts, giving him plenty of time to crush or subjugate them. Remaining our ally is also in his best interests, as it avoids him meeting the same fate as the HK50 line did; he knows that remaining an alliance with a resurgent Jedi Council will benefit him greatly in the long-term, and avoid annoying Jedi coming to smash his factories to pieces. Moreover, being anti-slavery would attract sympathy from locals, making it easier for his operations to avoid the law. Everything makes perfect tactical sense, and that is the first reason why I believe HK-47 is being genuine. But the other reason is that the slave revolt isn't originally HK-47's idea."

"Query: Not my idea, Master? Whatever do you mean?" asked HK-47.

The Council members other than Meetra seemed similarly confused, so Meetra clarified. "During the Mandalorian Wars, as some of you might know, Revan was a strong opponent of the slave trade, using the excuse of wartime emergency authority to, for example, free the slaves of Taris. She later came up with the idea of triggering a slave revolt among the Hutts as a contingency plan in case the Hutts betrayed us to the Mandalorians, though the contingency was never invoked. That's part of why it was obvious to me what you were planning, HK-47, and that your plan is genuine. After all, Revan programmed you."

Though Meetra had heard Revan's Sith Empire practiced slavery, a complete about face from Revan's prior stance. Perhaps she'd simply fallen to the Dark Side by that point and forgotten her prior motivations, as many Sith did, or perhaps there was a more complicated explanation. Hopefully one day they'd find Revan, and Meetra could ask her old friend herself.

"Surprise: I was not aware of this, as the events you speak of occurred before my construction," replied HK-47. "Statement: But yes, for whatever reason I've never been particularly fond of the idea of owning meatbags as slaves. Clarification: I much prefer murdering or cleverly manipulating them. Conclusion: Perhaps that is indeed due to Revan's programming."

"Why has this never been attempted before, if it's such a clear weak point for the Hutts and Exchange?" asked Mira.

"The kill devices in slaves make slave revolts hard to pull off, and arming millions of slaves is an enormous financial investment," explained Mical. "And unfortunately, most of the galaxy doesn't care about the plight of slaves, or actively benefits from the Slave Trade. It's not surprising it hasn't been done before on a large scale, though obviously many smaller slave revolts have been attempted over the course of history. Most failed, which also discouraged further such revolts."

"Yes, that is why this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," argued Meetra. "HK-47 has laid all the groundwork for us. Too long have the Jedi tolerated the slave trade. This is our chance to break the back of the whole trade. I am going."

The argument continued for several more hours. Ultimately, the Council approved the alliance with HK-47 with a 5-2 vote; they were unable to secure a unanimous vote. Mical and Bastilla voted against, citing an inability to trust HK-47. 

Meetra decided she would go alone – it was far too dangerous an assignment for her padawans.

* * *

Mikkev, a human, had once been a proud soldier of the Republic. But that was a long, long time ago. He had been captured in the Mandalorian Wars, sold into slavery, going through many owners until he finally ended up on Nar Shadaa, serving as a laborer for Vogga the Hutt. For years, he'd lived with no hope. But now, the last Jedi was coming to save them.

"It's true," he insisted, in hushed tones to his coworker. "The droid had a recording from the Exile herself! She promised she'd be here in a week to save us all! She said the Jedi Order had found a way to interfere with our death implants."

"The Jedi don't care about us," insisted Hikoc, his Cathar fellow slave, in a thick accent. "They never have. All they care about is helping the Senators get richer. At least, when they're not going insane and blowing up planets. It's probably just a trick by Vogga to ferret out anyone disloyal to him. I've heard rumors that Exchange infiltrators are making him paranoid. If we bite the bait we'll just get executed, or worse."

"You weren't there during the war," disagreed Mikkev. "I was a soldier -"

"That's all you ever talk about," complained Hikoc. "You're not one anymore. We're just slaves."

Mikkev continued unperturbed. "I was there on Taris, during the Mandalorian Wars. The Exile was one of the Jedi who followed Revan. They freed countless slaves. The Republic apparently gave Revan shit for abusing her wartime authority, but Revan didn't care. If you don't trust in the Jedi, trust me. This is the chance of a lifetime. Don't you want to return to see your family again? You tell me all the time how much you miss them. Just take the blaster, and be ready when the signal comes."

Hikoc sighed, and considered a moment before replying. "You're right... But if Vogga executes me, I'm haunting you."

* * *

Vogga the Hutt was having a very bad day. His dock manager, Fassa, was reporting that he had captured and executed two slaves today alone for illegal possession of a blaster pistol. That was the sixth this week. Someone was distributing weapons to his slaves, and he suspected the Exchange, though he was unsure why they'd be helping slaves. 

He had hoped he was free of the nuisance after that Jedi had blown up Goto's yacht. A strange Jedi, she had been. She'd gotten an audience with him by working as a dancer, of all things. Most Jedi had far too much pride to accept such a job, or to cooperate with a Hutt for that matter. But then, most Jedi were dead. Quite frankly, he liked the woman, even if she was a mere human. She was a pretty thing, her dancing had been beautiful, and she'd eliminated Goto for him.

But now, a new Exchange boss named Hunter had become a massive thorn in his side. He'd put a huge bounty on the man's head, but he'd proved even more elusive than Goto. He'd tried hiring the Exile again, but the Jedi Order had failed to reply to his messages. Worse, he was beginning to suspect that Hunter was hacking his droids somehow, given the constant leaks of information the Exchange seemed to be taking advantage of, but he still hadn't figured out how.

Fassa left the room. "Next," spoke his Twi'lek slave.

A woman dressed in Jedi robes entered the room. Wait... It was the Exile?

"Jedi Master Surik! So good of you to come," smiled Vogga. " I must admit when you didn't return my contacts I was worried you weren't interested in further cooperation. But you came in person! This is welcome news. I need a new Exchange boss named Hunter killed. Name your price, and I will pay it."

"Alas, that is not why I'm here," spoke the Jedi, calmly. "I've come here to deliver terms of surrender from Hunter. Free all your slaves immediately, and you and your other operations on Nar Shadaa will be spared."

This was most unfortunate news. "KILL THE JEDI!" he shouted. His Cath hounds leaped to attack, two laser turrets rose from the floor, and a secret door opened to his left, as ten of his finest Gammorean bodyguards charged out. His Twi'lek slave dived for cover.

The Jedi drew a red lightsaber in her right hand, effortlessly deflecting blaster bolts from the turrets, and waved her left hand. "The Jedi is over there," she said, and the Cath hounds leapt at Vogga's bodyguards instead, clearly manipulated by a Jedi Mind Trick.

The Jedi waved her hand again, and suddenly the turrets stopped operating, sparking with signs of obvious sabotage.

Vogga's Gammorean bodyguards, forced to defend themselves, slew Vogga's prized Cath hounds, and the Jedi turned to face them. Vogga slammed a panic button next to him, opening a floor trap underneath the Jedi's feet, but the Jedi moved faster than the trap could open, dodging out of the way, then sending the guards flying with another wave of her hand. Before the guards could recover, lightning burst from the Jedi's hands, and Vogga's guards screamed in pain.

It was clearly time to leave. Vogga slammed a second panic button, opening another secret door behind him, and moved to enter his personal escape shuttle.

Suddenly he felt a grip around his throat, choking and lifting him into the air. The Jedi, now sounding irritated, spoke. "Since you rejected my initial proposal, here is your revised proposal. Surrender, and you will become a prisoner, instead of being executed."

Well, Vogga was nothing if not a survivor. "I y.. yield" he managed to get out, despite the Force Choke. Correction, this was not just a bad day. It was perhaps the worst day of his life.


	7. Freedom, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slave revolt breaks out on Nar Shadaa.

The Jedi Council had been summoned to the offices of Supreme Chancellor Tol Cressa. It was unusual - since pardoning Meetra, he'd never personally met with any of the Jedi, although he frequently sent requests for assistance through the regular bureaucratic, diplomatic, and military channels. Under the circumstances, Bastilla suspected it would not be a pleasant conversation.

"Would you all care to explain why you've started a rebellion against the Republic on Nar Shadaa? Nearly a hundred Senators have signed a petition demanding that Jedi Master Surik be arrested for treason," declared the Chancellor, sounding irritated, after the Council had all found their seats. "According to our intelligence reports, you've even allied yourselves with an Exchange crime lord named Hunter."

"Chancellor, we are assisting a slave revolt for freedom," clarified Mical. "As I'm sure you're aware, slavery is in fact technically illegal throughout the Republic."

"Not that anyone ever enforces that law," snarked Atton, drawing an irritated glance from Chancellor.

"Assisting in freeing a slave is not illegal," concluded Mical. "Our alliance with the Exchange is unfortunate, but we are collaborating only in the perfectly legal business of freeing slaves. We are not assisting in any of their illegal activities on Nar Shadaa. Merely having dealings with crime lords is not a crime, as you know full well; else it would be virtually impossible to legally conduct any business in most of Hutt Space."

The Chancellor sighed. He entered some commands into his personal computer. "I have turned the recording of this meeting off so we may speak frankly," he informed them.

"As you yourselves just pointed out, Master Jedi, those laws are nothing more than a polite fiction outside of the Core Worlds," remarked the Chancellor, with disdain. "Our Galactic economy is heavily dependent on the slave trade, and a slave revolt like this could have a cataclysmic effect on the already fragile galactic economy. Especially in the worst case scenario that it succeeds, which it certainly will if a military commander of Master Surik's caliber is leading them. The domino effect could destabilize thousands of planets. The Hutts will also be furious, and if they blame us, it could even spark a Hutt revolt against the Republic."

Bastilla resisted an urge to sigh herself. This was, unfortunately, another consideration in her decision to vote against the alliance with HK-47 – she'd suspected the Republic would be upset. But the Council had made its decision, and it fell to her to help defend that decision. Moreover, she of course agreed that slavery was a vile institution, and the Chancellor's defense of the institution was quite irritating. "That is the intention, Chancellor. It is the opinion of the Council that the slave trade is a blight upon the galaxy that has persisted far too long. The Council does regret the bloodshed this will cause, but it is necessary."

"Necessary? Nothing about this is necessary. I insist the Council abandon this reckless course of action at once, Master Shan," replied the Chancellor angrily. "Your responsibility as Jedi is to protect the Republic, not to reduce it to rubble over ethical debates."

"Did you never wonder why so many flocked to Revan and Malak's banners when they betrayed the Republic? The Republic soldiers who defected far outnumbered the Jedi who turned to the Dark Side," pointed out Atton, himself getting heated. "It was because of things like this. They looked at the Republic's claim to the moral high ground and simply could not believe it, when the Republic continues to accept such evil as normal part of the galactic economy." He spoke from experience, of course, but was thankfully wise enough not to mention that detail.

"That is outragous! I will not stand to be compared to an evil empire! We are a democracy that has stood for thousands of years as a champion against tyranny and autocracy," shouted Chancellor Cressa.

"Try explaining that distinction to the slaves of Nar Shadaa," snapped Mira. 

"Or the countless slaves owned by Czerka Corp," noted Bao-Durr.

Before the argument could escalate further, Bastilla intervened with more diplomatic language. "Protecting the Republic means protecting the people of the Republic. That includes slaves."

It didn't seem to help – the Chancellor was furious. "Not if it means billions of deaths in violent slave revolts! Whole planetary economies ruined! Perhaps even the collapse of the Republic! I am done with this argument. This is a direct order on behalf of the Republic. You will end your support for this revolt, or I will have you all arrested!"

Mical smiled. "If you truly think you can arrest us for enforcing your own Republic's anti-slavery laws, you are welcome to try. Put us on trial - we will see how the courts rule. I am quite familiar with the legal precedent in question – the Republic's courts have consistently ruled that that freeing a slave is not a crime. The anti-slavery laws were written with specific language protecting abolitionist activism, even violent activism. Moreover, the Republic's anti-vigilante laws generally exempt the Jedi Order."

That got the Chancellor's attention. He turned silent, his anger deflated, but Bastilla could hear his thoughts – he knew Mical was right.

"You could, of course, move for the Senate to legalize slavery," noted Visas, breaking the silence. "Do you have the courage to embrace such evil openly? Do you even have the votes?"

The Chancellor's shoulders sagged in defeat. They'd successfully called his bluff, it seemed. "I now realize how much I enjoyed being free of the Jedi Council," he complained. "But very well. It seems I cannot stop you, for now. You are all dismissed, Master Jedi. But know that I will not forget this betrayal."

It was... Not an optimal outcome, Bastilla noted, as they filed out of the room. They'd potentially made a powerful enemy today, thanks to the Council's recklessness. She could only hope the Council's decision would do more good than harm.

* * *

Yuthura Ban's life had been a hard one. She had once been a slave on Sleheyron, serving Omeesh the Hutt. She had escaped, then become a Jedi padawan, then a Sith Lord. Then Revan had come to Korriban, and recruited her to join the Jedi again. So foolish she had been, to think she could find peace among the Jedi.

With the Dantooine Enclave annihalated in the war, she'd gone to Coruscant, trained as a Padawan under Revan. For a time, she truly had found a place among the Jedi, taught by Revan. Revan taught her to control her anger, harness it without letting it control her – a heretical lesson among the Jedi, but it had worked for her. Revan had taken her on many missions against the collapsing Sith Empire, and gone out of her way to give opportunities to Yuthara to free the Sith Empire's slaves.

But then Revan had left, with no warning at all. Not even a goodbye After that, she'd asked the Council for a new teacher. A newly annointed Jedi Knight, Juhani, had taken over her training, but it had not lasted long. Less than a month after Revan left Coruscant, Sith assassins had attacked in the dead of night.

On that day she learned she could never be at peace among the Jedi. They were weak fools – they died, one by one, to the Sith assassins. She was not weak. Yuthara had survived, fought her way out, let her hatred at the assassins who tried to destroy her newfound happiness consume her, until they all died before her. She wasn't even sure if anyone else in the Temple had survived – by the time the Sith assassins stopped pursuing her she had no longer cared, and had simply left.

That day had broken the old her. Gone were her naive childhood dreams of freeing the slaves. All that mattered was survival. The Dark Side called to her, gave her strength. She had survived even as the other Sith died, at the hands of the mythical Exile. As far as she knew, she was the last Sith Lord left, reduced to making a living as a mercenary for hire.

Still, the offer before her, on her ship's computer, gave her pause. She'd been sending out feelers to the criminal underworld, trying to find her next employer – but the offer was from the Hutts on Nal Hutta. She hated the Hutts for what they did to her as a child. But no, she could not let her past childish sentiments get in the way of a job. Her enslavement had been her own fault, for being weak.

She reviewed the job offer. It was a one million credit bounty for anyone who could kill the Exile on Nar Shadaa. It was an absurdly high bounty, but the Exile was popularly considered the mightiest warrior in all the galaxy, so she supposed that was normal. Why had the Hutts placed the bounty though? She pulled up more details. The Exile was... Leading a slave revolt?

Her past stirred within Yuthara, but she surpressed it with another burst of hatred for her weak past self. No. She would not falter. She would kill the Exile, and with that victory she would gain the prestige and money necessary to start rebuilding the Sith, under her leadership. She began typing a reply to the Hutts, accepting the job.

* * *

The battle escalated quickly out of control over the next week. The announcement of Vogga the Hutt's capture at the hands of the mythical Exile, distributed widely by the HK-47's criminal network, caused an immediate reaction, as over a billion slaves throughout Nar Shadaa rose up against their masters. Their masters, of course, tried to trigger the explosive implants that all the slaves had and murder the rebels, but discovered that they weren't working – the results of HK-47's hacking and sabotage.

The Hutts, of course, did not take such a revolt lying down, and neither did what parts of the Exchange remained outside of HK-47's control. They mobilized all their resources to crush the revolt violently, sending in their thugs, combat droids, and whatever mercenaries they could hire on such short notice. It soon devolved into a planetwide mess of urban warfare, as well as a space battle with the Exchange's ships fighting to stop reinforcements from Nal Hutta.

The Slave Alliance, as they were calling themselves, had setup its command center in Vogga the Hutt's former headquarters, where the Exile had been given the unenviable task of trying to win a war with an army consisting mostly of people who'd never held a blaster before in their lives. It involved a lot of paperwork, studying battle maps, reading reports, sending out orders, and diplomacy to resolve internal conflicts between the various factions in the revolt. Assisting her in the command center were a few HK-51 units and a few former slaves with appropriate skillsets.

While Meetra was arguably the most skilled fighter on the entire planet, a single warrior could only do so much in a war that covered an entire planet - her leadership skills, borne of the Mandalorian Wars, were far more important under the circumstances. She'd hurried to the frontlines a few times, of course, at critical points, but even that had mostly been for her to assist by using her Battle Meditation. Sadly, unlike Bastilla, she wasn't capable of using Battle Meditation to influence the battle on the scale of an entire planet or fleet – that was a talent unique to Master Shan. She could, however, use it to ensure victory in smaller scale clashes, so long as she was physically present.

At the moment, she was studying how best to respond to some enemy reinforcements. The Hutts had managed to fight his way past HK-47's forces in space to make a landing on Nar Shadaa. They threatened to flank a Slave Alliance army, led by a former slave named Bicho, now Captain Bicho, who'd been attacking Jabur the Hutt's headquarters. None of the options were particularly appealing – all the closest armies were busy with their own important objectives, but if she didn't pull someone back to assist Bicho's army would likely be annihalated.

Finally, she made her decision, and opened communications. "Captain Mikkev, retreat. I repeat, retreat. Captain Bicho's forces are about to be encircled and annihalated, I need you to abandon your attack to assist her." They'd been attacking a Hutt droid factory.

"Master Jedi, we only need a few more hours and we can capture the factory," noted Captain Mikkev. "If we don't shut it down now they'll just keep producing battle droids."

"I am well aware, Captain. If Captain Bicho's forces are massacred, it won't matter. Jabur the Hutt would have enough forces to counterattack and reclaim the factory anyway. Your orders are to rescue her army."

"Understood," replied Mikkev.

Mikkev's forces began a careful retreat, then moved to assist Captain Bicho. Meetra was about to go back to studying the map of troop movements when her precognition warned her of impending danger. She immediately drew her lightsaber.

"HK-51, scan the area for hostiles immediately," she ordered.

"Yes, Master," replied HK-51, readying their blaster rifle.

The rest of the command staff looked around, concerned. But there was no obvious threat. 

Meetra focused her mind, reaching out with the Force... There! She sensed it. A Sith was rapidly approaching them.

"I sense a Sith Lord approaching us!" warned Meetra. Then they all heard the sound of blaster fire, followed by screams, very close. There was no time to formulate a plan – she would have to go herself. "I'll take care of this," she announced, then raced to face the attacker.

* * *

The rebel guards fell easily before Yuthara, her red lightsaber carving through their flesh even more easily than common republic soldiers – they were poorly trained, weak. It was only natural, that they should die so their betters could thrive.

She sensed her quarry coming, like a moth to a flame, and hurriedly prepared her mental defenses to resist Force attacks; from what she'd heard, the Exile had been trained as a Consular. Not a moment too soon – as soon as the Jedi exited Vogga the Hutt's captured headquarters, she felt something attempt to grip her throat, only to fail. A... Dark Side force technique? That was unexpected.

The mythical Jedi Exile looked just like in the holorecordings, standing in the doorway with her own red light saber at the ready. The Jedi hesitated, clearly having not expected the Force Choke to fail, and assumed a meditative stance, likely preparing her defences. Yuthara had no intention of letting her do so.

Yuthara leapt forward, assuming the Makashi form, striking fiercely with her lightsaber. "Die, Jedi scum!" she declared. The Jedi parried the attack with perfect precision, however. Then – Yuthara felt her mental defenses slip, as a Breach of Force slammed at her mind. She tried to prepare her defenses again, but was too slow – and the Exile sent her flying with a blast of telekinetic Force, knocking Yuthara to the floor.

Before she could recover, Yuthara felt herself being lifted into the air by the throat. She struggled to shake herself free, but to no avail. It seemed... She had made a fatal mistake. She stared at the Jedi, as she felt the pain crush her neck. The woman radiated victory, a commanding certainty that Yuthara was just another obstacle to be crushed underfoot. Yuthara was hopelessly outclassed – this Exile was a true master of the Force.

She'd failed again. Just as she'd failed to free the slaves, failed at being a Jedi, failed at being a slave. She was a failure of a Sith, too. For a moment, her anger burned brighter than ever before, but then... She gave up, letting go of her anger, accepting her imminent demise. As she started to black out, she thought back on some of her few moments of happiness. She remembered the looks of gratitude on the faces of the Sith slaves Revan had freed with Yuthara's aid, and the happy shock she'd felt when Revan had spared her on Korriban, offered her a second chance. What had she accomplished since becoming a Sith again? Maybe she should have just died on Coruscant.

* * *

"Wake up," said Meetra, gently, speaking to the Twi-lek woman laid out on the bed in front of her. The Exile was sitting on a chair at her bedside.

As Meetra had choked the life out of the Sith, full of fury, she'd sensed something that had made her hold back at the last moment, and fail to finish her off. A profound, deep regret had emenated from the Sith Lord. They'd kept the woman drugged and unconscious for most of the revolt, but now, after three weeks of fighting, a truce had been signed – it had been a swift victory, albeit one with truly horrific casualties among the poorly trained former slaves. The Hutts had lost the ground war decisively, with only about 4% of Nar Shadaa's surface still under their control by the time the truce was signed. With the war moved to the negotiating table, she could finally find the time to talk to the woman.

Yuthara, Mical had identified her as, after Meetra asked her husband to run a quick check of the Jedi Archives. She'd been recorded as missing in the Archives, a Jedi padawan, formerly a Sith, who'd been caught in a suprise Sith attack on the Coruscant Jedi Temple. The attack that had only barely been repelled, and had prompted the rapid evacuation of all surviving Jedi on Coruscant; the Council had not bothered trying to find one missing padawan. Presumably, the trauma of the incident had caused her to relapse.

Yuthara stirred. "I'm alive?" She reached instinctively for her lightsaber, but of course, it had been safely removed.

"Yes," replied Meetra.

"Is this some sick joke?" laughed the twi'lek woman, bitterly. "I finally got to die, and then you spare me? Do you want to tell me I should be a Jedi again? I already tried that, twice. Just kill me already. Or do you just intend to mock my weakness?"

"No," replied Meetra. "I have no intenion of killing you."

"Why? I've heard the legends. You've killed millions. Sith, Mandalorians. What's one more corpse? Or is this some Jedi nonsense about not killing prisoners? If so, give me back my lightsaber, so I can try to kill you again."

Meetra sighed. "I am incredibly tired of people talking about my role in Malachor V like I'm some deranged genocidal maniac. Such attempts to taunt me into killing you will not succeeed, and I'd appreciate it if you stopped your attempts. I killed those people because it was necessary. It was a war, and in a war of that scale, millions of deaths are inevitable. There were no better options that I could find. I spared you because I had the luxury of being merciful, and because you are more useful to the galaxy alive than dead."

"Useful?" asked Yuthara. Meetra could sense her confusion. "Do you mean to train me as a Jedi yet again? I just told you, I'm not interested. All it did was make me weak, while I meditated and accomplished nothing."

"Accomplished nothing? The Jedi Archives disagree," countered Meetra. "I had my husband do some research. Apparently as Revan's padawan, you were instrumental in the final stages of dismantling the Sith Empire."

" _Revan_ was instrumental," objected Yuthara. "As soon as she left, everything collapsed. The Sith came for the Jedi, and they died in futility. I only survived because I embraced the Dark Side. The Jedi follow the path of weakness."

Meetra nodded. "Exactly why I could use your help building a new Jedi Order, a better Jedi Order. We are not the Jedi of old – I followed Revan to war, and just like Revan I came to understand the failings of the old ways. The Jedi of the past were failures, in more ways than one. The Archives also mentioned you were a former slave – the old Jedi cared nothing for the plight of slaves. But over the past few weeks, we have led a successful slave revolt on Nar Shadaa, the greatest successful revolt in hundreds of years. Join us, and we can work to secure a brighter future for the people of the galaxy, so others don't have to suffer like you did."

Yuthara blinked in surprise. Clearly, she wasn't used to Jedi criticizing the Jedi Order. Or leading slave revolts. 

But she said nothing, so Meetra continued. "Your feelings betray you – I can sense you weren't happy as a Sith, that you longed for a better life. You hated abandoning your childhood dreams. You used that hatred to fuel your anger further, but all that anger came to nothing. Your blind hatred made you just as weak as the old Jedi ways did, reduced to chasing bounties for the Hutts, only for me to defeat you with ease. You already know this to be true. That is why you accepted my old friend Revan's offer of a new chance in life. It's not too late to try again. I can teach you to find Balance in the Force."

Yuthara was quiet for several minutes, Meetra sensing deep conflict within her. Finally, a tear stained Yuthara's eye. "I... I do not believe I will succeed, but I will try."

Meetra sensed a small spark of hope in the now former Sith Lord. She would make a good padawan. 

Meetra had acted partly out of kindness, out of belief in redemption, but more than anything out of a desperate need for more recruits. The Order was still too small and fragile to survive without Meetra, but she could not stay much longer. Revan was out there, in the Unknown Regions, and needed Meetra's help. But until the new Jedi Order was strong enough, she had no choice but to stay.

* * *

Of course, the end of armed conflict was not truly the end of the revolt's work. Negotiations between the Slave Alliance and Nal Hutta dragged on for weeks, and the Republic also got involved as a mediator. In addition, the task of getting many of the former slaves back to their respective homeworlds was a logistical nightmare, and there were countless wounded in need of Force Healing.

In the end, a treaty was successfully signed – the Hutts regained nominal control over Nar Shadaa, but agreed to a high degree of local autonomy, as well as several other massive concessions to the Exchange. They also agreed that slavery would be completely banned on Nar Shadaa going forwards, and formally accepted the freedom of all the slaves who had revolted. As for the formerly hostile Exchange bosses, all who still lived accepted Hunter as their boss. Several former slaves had also decided to join up with the organization that had helped win their freedom, eagerly filling the job openings created by HK-47 murdering so many of his competitors.

All in all, Meetra spent three months total on Nar Shadaa, most of it spent cleaning up the mess she'd made. On the bright side, her padawans were all able to join her after the initial truce took effect, Yuthara joining their ranks, so she was able to continue training them. It was a good lesson for them, to see the cesspit that was Nar Shadaa firsthand, and to experience the compassion of helping heal the wounded.

And just like that, the slave trade on Nar Shadaa was ended, and Meetra boarded a ship to return to Coruscant, travelling together with many freed slaves returning home. The story of the successful revolt on Nar Shadaa would inspire countless slave revolts throughout the galaxy over the next few decades, and incident would also help restore public faith in the Jedi, at least among those who weren't slavers. As her old teacher Kreia would say, the Exile had created an echo. The Hutts were of course furious, but they would soon find they were too busy dealing with slave revolts and the Exchange to get revenge on the Jedi.

Still, that victory had not come without a price. Exact numbers were unknown, but Meetra estimated the death toll was at least in the tens of millions just among the former slaves alone. Their deaths were on her hands, just as surely as if she'd stabbed them herself; they'd only been willing to risk their lives because they'd believed in _her_ , trusted that the mythical Exile would guide them to freedom. Meetra was saddened that she'd again cut short so many lives. And it would not end there - as the echo traveled, as others were inspired to revolt, even more would die, perhaps billions. But there had been no other way, except to stand by and let them suffer in slavery; that was the old Jedi way, but it was a way Meetra would never practice. She would never forget their sacrifice.


End file.
